A soldier’s life and his death in Mosul is a profile of Iraqi determination to fight ISIS, and a lesson in why even a Shiite from southern Iraq is willing to shed blood to liberate a predominantly Sunni city to the north.

The United Nation’s Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator said in a statement Tuesday that he was ‘extremely concerned’ about the fighting in Aleppo, as government and allied forces seek to take back the city from rebels.